Homestead: Kurt Busch - Friday media visit

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)
ON GOALS FOR SUNDAY'S RACE "It has been a great season for Penske and
the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. It's tough that I only get to see you guys
this Friday Morning. If we were doing better we would...

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)

ON GOALS FOR SUNDAY'S RACE "It has been a great season for Penske and
the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. It's tough that I only get to see you guys
this Friday Morning. If we were doing better we would of been down here
earlier to talk to you. To have a good season, to lead laps and get bonus
points, as many as Championship point leader Jimmie Johnson, and to have
two wins we can consider this a successful season. But when you compare
it to the likes of Jimmie and Jeff it actually is nothing to open your
left eye for when the alarm clock goes off. It has been a really
incredible season to watch the 48 and the 24.

"For us with the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge we felt like we had a great
season [in] my second year with Penske Racing. We're really looking for
a lot more next year. You can really look at the bonus points as a good
indication that the car is running strong; we're leading laps at a lot
of different race tracks. We led [the] most laps five different times. We
got the same amount of bonus points as the guy that has 10 wins. What
that means to me is that we have to step it up in the final 25 laps like
the 48 car does and see if we can't get into victory lane more often. I
use to say Matt Kenseth was the "silver fox", the David Pearson of the
current but it looks like Jimmie Johnson has taken the role of showing up
when it counts to take that checkered flag. All-in-all we're impressed
with his stats but we're also happy with what we've accomplished this
season. We're only 47 points out of sixth place and I think it just
turns into bragging rights once you get down to this point of the year.
It will be nice to get into the top 10 for our sponsors."

THOUGHTS ON THIS BEING THE FINAL RACE WITH THE CURRENT CAR "This race in
my mind holds quite a bit of value just because it is the final race for
this old style car. This is a car that has been used for many years it
has been praised because of its comparison to this new car that we're
going to. Yet, the way that it drives, the way that it feels it will be
missed. It is sad to see it go. It will be a farewell to a car that led
us through many years of NASCAR racing. This is the same car that we used
to win with at Michigan. We appropriately named it "Roger". It we have
a chance to go to victory lane on Sunday hopefully we will be able to
retire this car with two race wins and the name "Roger" on it. "

ON THE CONSISTENCY OF CHEVY

"I don't think it has as much to do with the auto manufacture as you
might think. It is a strong indication that Chevy is a competitive team
and they have the most chances at winning each race weekend. They have
the most cars out there. They have the most shot at winning each weekend.
Hendrick Motorsports have been unstoppable this year. They hit on the key
element of what it takes to make the COT go around the race track. I
think it has a lot to do with the front end geometry of these cars. I
said, 'the team that figured it out, would be able to run away with
it'. Sure enough that is what happened."

WHAT IS YOUR FEELING ON THE CHASE IN ITS FOURTH YEAR, DO YOU THINK IT HAS
LIVED UP TO EXPECATIONS? "Absolutely. I think it has exceeded
expectations in many areas. This year has to be some what of an exemption
just because a guy doesn't usually win 10 races in a season. But you
can't fault the Chase for this format. No matter what program you would
have dialed in for points, Jimmie Johnson would have been a runaway with
it. To have it only 86 points I think that is a blessing. I'm just happy
that the Chase has worked out to everybody's expectations. The way you
have to race competitive just to get in the Chase and then to perform
during the 10 race stretch. It compares this sport to other sports that
you have to be on your game during the playoffs if you want to win
Championships."

"If you are in contention and if you come down to the final race within
100 points your mindset seems to wander and it seems different. You've
raced all season long and put yourself in position to win a Championship
and there seems to be those nasty, little gremlins that pop up. Whether
it's sounds or smells or whether you're just looking at something the
wrong way. Things pop into your head and you have to be able to withstand
those demons and put your best foot forward and to think positive things
and to have a positive day at the end. In retrospect, 2004 was the year I
was prepared to win and I was prepared to lose at the same time. You just
hope that you come out on the positive end of things when they do go
wrong."

WHAT IS YOUR ENDURING MEMORY FROM 2007? "I was asked that last week.
This season has been a great season for me with Penske Racing. Fitting in
with this group and bringing them to victory lane. Racing into the Chase.
We had a successful summer run to get us into the race for the Chase.
That is what this season will mean. It is a cornerstone to where we made
a good turn, everything is positive about my decision to go to this race
team and their decision to pick me up as the driver. It is almost like,
it's OK for Kurt to drive the Miller Lite Dodge and everybody's feeling
that. Whether it's internally or my race fans, we're very happy about
what 2008 is going to bring."

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WIN THE RACE HERE AND HAVE TO SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT WITH
THE CHAMPION? "I told Jimmie Johnson, make it simple. Please, don't
allow anyone else to win, just win the race and that way you get both
stages because they can't build a big enough stage for [him] in New York
for what you've done this year. We'll see what happens with Jimmie this
weekend. I've see Greg Biffle do it three years now. The way it worked
out for us in 2002, you're just on a high all off season. You won the
last race. Most of the time when you win a race there is going to be
someone that bumps you off the next week. When you win the last race of
the season you carry that for a few extra weeks and you get to brag that
you were the last winner in the Nextel Cup Series. When you win the last
race of the season at Homestead you get a couple months."

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT CHASE CHAMPIONS COMPARED TO PAST CHAMPIONS? "It is an
interesting topic. I think this competition level that we have currently
is the fiercest amongst all eras. This generation of Champions and
drivers has raised the bar. It has turned it into a young man's game.
This one can be looked at as one of the toughest groups and one of the
toughest eras to win a Championship but yet it was no easy picnic a few
decades ago. Each generation has its own champions, its own cars and its
own place in history."

ON TRENDS IN THE SPORT "I've seen trends in the sport. The years that
I've been here there has been soft tires, then hard tires. A new change
in the car and how people and teams have to drive and build these cars.
Sometimes those big changes help other teams then they hurt other teams.
NASCAR always keeps it interesting. You never know what rule changes they
are going to come up with. There have been all types of complaints about
the COT and they have been reluctant to change anything. I think they
know they want to change some things but they space it out at appropriate
times just to keep the crew chiefs and the teams guessing and maybe
change the goats at the top of the hill. It's a king of the hill deal
where right now Hendrick has been on top and maybe the next change NASCAR
throws our way will take away some of their advantage and allow some of
the other teams to keep up."